1952 Topps Sal Yvars #338 PSA 8 NM-MT

Yvars made the last out of the 1951 World Series and always told everyone he met, “Bobby Thompson got us into the World Series and I got us out of it.” Actually, Yvars played a critical part in getting the Giants into the Series as the relay man for one of the most elaborate sign stealing systems of all time. A system that tipped off Thompson as to Ralph Branca’s pitch on an eventful October afternoon in 1951. According to Yvars, “A man sat in the center field clubhouse with a telescope nearly 500 feet away from home plate. When he spied the pitch signal between the catcher's legs, he pressed an electronic buzzer that was wired to the bullpen. The bullpen was in right field and in direct view of the batter. The man on the end of the bullpen bench was me. One buzz meant fastball, two meant off-speed. If it was a fastball, I would do nothing, sit still, maybe cross my legs. If it was off-speed stuff I would toss a ball up and down.'' That story alone is reason enough to buy this legendary ’52!

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